eff_reality | Beecake @ Tin Angel, Philly 10.7.09

So I had the great pleasure of seeing my first Beecake concert last night. I live in NY and already have tickets for the Saturday concert, but I have a feeling it's going to be packed, and I had another feeling the one in Philly would be a bit less crazy. Luckily, my best friend lives in Philly, so I roped her into coming with me and thus began 24 hours of insanity.

But none of you care about that.

My best friend and I arrived only ten minutes early. I'll admit I was freaking out a bit that I wouldn't get prime fangirl seating. But when we got there, it was still fairly empty. Tin Angel is a tiny, adorable venue. Like most places in Philly, it just has a really great, chill vibe.

Since you won't be able to tell from the pics, I was about four tables back from the stage, which meant I was quite close but not close enough to cause hyperventilation. (Hopefully we'll achieve that on Saturday.)

They started a bit late, as expected, and the place still wasn't completely full, but the crowd was really enthused and sweet. When Billy came out on stage, I will admit I reached over and grabbed a handful of my best friend's side. The effect of him in person is very different than the effect of him on screen. It was a bit jarring. I had a brief moment of OMGMYHEART, but then it quickly gave way to me just staring at this new, unfamiliar creature that was Real Life Billy.

Even though I've read countless in-person accounts at this point, I was still a bit thrown by how tiny the man's frame is. I guess it wasn't tinier than I expected, but just seeing it in person, all tidy and compact (and there is a reason so many fics use one or both of those words to describe him), was still a bit of a shock. On a related note, it seemed as if he'd lost a bit of weight recently. He had to pull his sagging jeans up a few times throughout the show (which he did in a kind of exaggerated, hilarious manner). His outfit was totes frontman emocakes, complete with short-sleeved button-down and skinny black tie. It was, of course, very becoming.

I began furiously taking pictures the minute he walked out, only to realize that my battery light was flashing. Was I really so stupid as to not check on the status of my batteries before seeing The Boyd in person? YES. But thankfully, it didn't seem to do too much damage, other than prevent me from recording anything. I still got a little over a hundred shots, quite a few of which are actually decent. I just kept having to turn my camera on and off to prevent it from dying.

Here should lie a full album with all my pics. This includes blurry shit and weird mid-word mid-facial expression!Billy. If you're looking for pictures of *the band,* look elsewhere. Here it's all Boyd all the time.

That said, the band was phenomenal. I already love their music, but they are so good live. Polished, pitch-perfect, and obviously ego-free. These guys clearly really only give a shit about making good music. I mean, there's a reason they're maintaining such a following.

And back to our regularly scheduled program.

Drinking Johnnie Walker Green and listening to that voice was perfection. The best part about it was that I felt completely comfortable sitting there with my chin in my hand, gawking, complete with hearts in my eyes. Maybe it was the alcohol, but I think it had a lot to do with the incredibly welcoming vibe that Billy gives off. Again, at the risk of quoting previous fancounters, he is so comfortable with himself, and it makes you automatically comfortable around him. Well, as comfortable as you can be given the circumstances.

The show was so enjoyable—and I was so caught up in madly taking pics—that it literally felt like it was only three or four songs long. The band stuck around and, like I said, it was a really small venue and not packed, so there weren't that many people to mingle with afterward. But they did, and I proceeded to sit a comfortable distance away like a giant pussy. My best friend was kind enough to procure the CD for me and get it signed and all that, but I didn't interact with any of them. We'll see if I grow a pair by Saturday night.

Billy: Who is that crazy drunk girl over there who won't stop taking pictures?

And I think I'll end with a little hand fetish. Always a safe bet.